{"id":44259,"date":"2017-02-24T09:56:26","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T14:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=44259"},"modified":"2022-09-28T12:24:35","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T16:24:35","slug":"wright-state-student-creates-nationally-recognized-documentary-on-obesity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2017\/02\/24\/wright-state-student-creates-nationally-recognized-documentary-on-obesity\/","title":{"rendered":"Wright State student creates nationally recognized documentary on obesity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Department of Communication will screen \u201cThe Student Body,\u201d a documentary film on school \u201cfat letters\u201d by Wright State student Bailey Webber, on March 7. (Photo by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n

Controversial school \u201cfat letters\u201d and body mass index screenings have been thrown into the spotlight thanks to a nationally recognized documentary film created by Bailey Webber, a mass communication major at Wright State University.<\/p>\n

Webber\u2019s documentary, \u201cThe Student Body<\/a>,\u201d provides an inside look into the decision-making process by lawmakers and health experts about information provided to students about their BMI score from screenings conducted at schools. The screenings calculate a student\u2019s weight, and letters are sent to students and their families disclosing whether the student is considered obese or underweight. The letters are known as \u201cfat letters.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 20 states require students in kindergarten, third and fifth grade to receive BMI screenings. Currently, Ohio does not require BMI testing after receiving negative feedback.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Student Body\u201d is available on DVD, iTunes, Amazon and many cable, satellite and digital platforms.<\/p>\n

The film will be shown at Wright State on Tuesday, March 7, at 7 p.m. in 120 Medical Science. The event is hosted by the Department of Communication<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201c’The Student Body\u2019 is fun and upbeat despite the heavy content,\u201d Webber said. \u201cI want students to be able to feel inspired and to know that their voice does matter and that one person can make a change. I learned that, and as you see in the film, I progressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

After accidentally sitting in on a national meeting about BMI screenings conducted in schools, Webber realized that an issue she thought was local was actually a national controversy worthy of more attention. She met with dozens of professionals and concluded there was a clear disconnect between health experts and the public, and between health experts and lawmakers.<\/p>\n

As seen in the film, she asked lawmakers to stand on a scale like students are required to determine their BMI score.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\u201cThe Student Body\u201d has been shown on Capitol Hill, in the U.S. Senate and in Regal in Time Square, along with many other locations. Webber does not think the film has changed lawmakers\u2019 opinions. “I think they have just backed off because of pressure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her father, Michael Webber, is a documentary filmmaker who inspired her to turn the issue into a larger, creative project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Student Body\u201d took three years to create and with little funding. It was filmed in New York, Texas, Washington D.C., and Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen amazing impact from the film so far, and it\u2019s just been released this year,\u201d Webber said.<\/p>\n

She hopes the film will make more people look at obesity differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re told that it\u2019s a pretty simple answer about eating healthy and to exercise. But when we talked to experts at the highest levels, they say there could be up to 60 different issues,” Webber said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Student Body\u201d won an Independent Spirit Award at the Sedona Film Festival. It has also been submitted to the Woodstock Film Festival, Traverse City Film Festival and the Providence Film Festival.<\/p>\n

More information is available on thestudentbodyfilm.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Department of Communication will screen \u201cThe Student Body,\u201d a documentary film on school \u201cfat letters\u201d by Wright State student Bailey Webber, on March 7. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":44263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,2037,725,747,715,4855],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-arts-scene","category-home-news-sidebar","category-liberal-arts","category-news","category-social-sciences-and-international-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44259"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44266,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44259\/revisions\/44266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}